Lens-cutting machine.



F'. L. HIGGINS. LENS CUTTING MACHINE.

' APPLICATION FILED SH12, 1911. 1,029,367, Patented June 11,1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

I. L. HIGGINS.

LENS CUTTING MACHINE.

APPLIGATION HLED SH12, 19'11.

Patented June 11, 1.9-1.2.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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entren sra ras FREDERICK Il. HIGGINS, OF RIDGEFIELD,

NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO THE MEYRO- WITZ MANUFACTURING CO., A CORPORATIONOF NEW JERSEY.

LENS-CUTTING- MACHINE.

Application led September 2, 1911.

ting Machines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

This invention relates to lens-cutting machines, such as are used forcutting lenses for spectacles or eye-glasses, and more par-` ticularlyto an improvement in a machine of this description patented Feb. 18,1896, by J. B. Gury, Patent No. 554,777, the manner of constructing thepresent mechanism being hereinafter described and more particularly setforth in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings Vwhich form a part hereof and in which likereference characters designate like parts throughout the several views:Figure 1 is a front elevation, partly in section, of a machineconstructed in accordance with the principles of my invention. Fig. 2 isa similar viewof the side of themachineillustrated in Fig. 1, parts ofthe mechanism being broken away. Fig. 3 is a detail section taken online IIIMIII of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a detail section taken on line IV-IVof F ig. 2. Fig. 5 is a detail section of the clamping parts whichengage the lens to be cut. Fig. G is a transverse' detail section takenon the line VI-VI of Fig. 1. Fig. 7 is a detail plan of the` lower lensclamp-holder and parts adjacent thereto. Fig. 8 is a detail of thelower' lens clamp, viewed from above.

The construction set forth in the patent to Gury above noted, discloseda lens cutting ma chine which in so far as its outward appearance isconcerned, does not greatlydiffer from that herein shown, and in any ofthe principles of the machine embodied in the said patent are alsoincluded herein. Owing to the fact that lenses differ materially inthickness, the spring pressure which is exerted by the lens clamps upona lens is different in one case from another, and the present devicediffers from/that of Gury in that it is provided with means forregulating or adjusting this pressure: the said pressure being varied,as desired. and the lower plane of the lens being always maintained insubstanti ally a fixed horiaontal plane, the maintenance of the lens inthis position being positive.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 11, 1912.

Serial No. 647,313.

lVth the foregoing objects in view therefore reference may be made toFigs. 1 and 2 of the drawings. The main frame or standard 1 of thedeviceis mounted upon a suitable base 2, and is provided with a laterallyextending arm 3, which is adapted for the reception of a spindle 4. Theupper side of the arm 3 is recessed for the reception of a sleeve 5, thelower extremity of which is secured therein in any suitable manner. Thissleeve extends upwardly Afrom the arm 3, and is preferably of uniformdiameter throughout, except for the provision of a flange 6, the purposeof which will be herefrom one side of the arm 3, and this stud carries abevel gear 8, to which is secured a crank arm 9, bearing a suitablehandle 10, by means of which the gear may be rotated; and the gear 8 isin mesh with a corresponding bevel gear 11, which is mounted upon sleeve5, directly above the upper surface of the arm 3. Bevel gear 11 has ahub 12, about which is disposed a plate 13, the said plate being firmlyailixed to the gear in any suitable manner, and rotating therewith.Plate 13 carries two bearing members 1/1 which are preferablysubstantially triangular in outline, and which are provided withrecesses in their upper surfaces and at the inner ends thereof for thereception of the flange 6 of the sleeve 5, above referred to'. Theapices of these triangular members are directed outwardly in the mannershown in Fig. 3, and their inner sides are preferably arcuately formedto conform to the hub 12 of gear 11; the said members each being securedixedly in position upon plate 13 by means of a screw 16.

A disk 17, the upper peripheral edge of which is threaded as at 18,carries upstanding segmentally shaped lugs 19.` This disk is aperturedor slotted at 20, and through this aperture extends the upper end of thesleeve 5; the sleeve quite neatly litting the ywalls of the slot 20, asshown in Fig. 4. so that it serves as a guide for the said disk when thelatter is oscillated in the manner hereinafter described. Disk 17 alsocarries depending segmentally shaped bearing parts 21. which are securedthereto in any suit* able manner, as by screws 21. One of y thesesegments is slotted upon the underside i thereof as at 22, in Fig. 2,for the reception inafter noted. A stud 7 projects laterally of a pin 22which projects up from the upper surface of the plate 13. Both of thesegments or bearing parts 21 are rabbeted or recessed at their inner andupper edges as at 23, sufficient space being provided between theopposed vertical walls of such recesses to receive the flange 6, abovereferred to. The upper extremity of the sleeve 5 is flattened uponeither side thereof as at 24 and carries a cam disk 25, which is slotted`as at 26` the slot extending diametrically of the said disk and .beingsome-what eccentric as shown in Fig. 4. The cam disk is hence adapted tobe displaced laterally with respect to the sleeve 5, but is guided bythe upper end thereof and movement of the Vdisk is effected by means ofa small pinion 27 which is secured to the upper extremity of the spindle4. A collar 28 is provided on the said spindle immediately below spindle27, which collar engages the upper face of the body of the cam disk 25.The cam disk is recessed so as to provide room for the reception ofcollar 2S and the parts which directly co-act therewith; this recess inthe said disk forming a iiange 29 around the periphery thereof, theperipheral surface of Awhich flange is adapted to neatly engage thevertical walls of the lugs 19.

A rack 30 is secured by screws 31 or the like, to the interior of thecam disk, and this rack is disposed in mesh with pinion 27. As thespindle 4 is held against lateral displacement, it is obvious that whenit is rotated the rack 30, and thereby also the cam disk, will bedisplaced Veccentrically withrespect to the axis of the said spindle. Astop 32 is also secured to the cam disk, the said stop being adapted forengagement with `the collar 28 when the latter has been moved the limitof its throw, and the spin- .dle 4 carries a. cross-pin 33, which wheninserted therethrough locks the said spindle against longitudinaldisplacement. An adjusting nut 34 is slotted upon its upper surface asat 35, so as to neatly receive the pin 33, and the lower extremity ofthe spindle 4 is threaded as at 36, and is provided with a lock nut 37,by means of which the adjustment nut may be clamped in any desiredposition rotarily. The tightening up of`nut 37 hence effects the lockingof the -cam disk in any desired position. An internally threadedv cap 38is disposed around and over the cam disk and is secured in position bymeans of the threads 18, above referred to; Y

It should be noted that the triangular upper surfaces of the bearingpieces 14 are adapted to afford seats for the under surface of the disk17. It has been found Vhighly desirable to provide these bearing pieces14, since when the disk is disposed eccentrically to any considerableextent with respect to the axis of spindle 4, thereis a strong tendencyfor the machine to bind, owing to the practically relatively limited andsegmentally shaped bearing surfaces between the flange 6' and the wallsof the grooves formed by the rabbets 23, vWithin which it rides. In thepresent improved construction, the upper surfaces of the bearing members14 carry a considerable part of the strain, and are preferably disposedon the median line between the vertical walls of the recesses 23.

The cap 384 carries a centrally disposed and upwardly projectingcylindrical extension 39, which is journaled in the lower extermity of aC-shaped frame 40. 'This frame carries a bifurcated rod 41 which extendslaterally therefrom, and the slotted or bifurcated end of the said rodis adapted for the reception of a pin 42 whichV projects upwardly from asmall. bracket 43, upon the face of the standard 1; the slot at theextremity of the said rod being` designated 44. A stem 45 projectsupwardly from the center of the cylindrical extension 39, and aroundthis stem is a sleeve 46, the lower end of which is enlarged as at 47and recessed for the reception of a suitable ball bearing 48. The sleeve46 is adapted to rotate with the stem 45, being secured thereto by meansof a pin 49. It is desirable that a certain amount of play be allowedbetween Y pin 49 and stem 45 in order to prevent undue friction afterthe parts have become worn to some extent, and with this end in view theaperture in the stem 45, through which extends the said pin, is slottedvery slightly longitudinally of the same, as at 49. The upper end of thestem 45 is recessed for the reception of a cylindrical extension 50,which projects downwardly from the lower lens clamp-holder 51; extension50 being adapted to be firmly held in position by a set screw 52 whichis provided in the side of the sleeve The clampholder 51 is recessedupon its upper face, as at 53, and is preferably provided with prongs 54which project upwardly from the bottom of the recess 53, the said recessbeing filled with a disk of suitable slightly resilient composition ormaterial 55.

Secured in any suitable manner to the upper surface of this compositiondisk 55 is a preferably elliptical plate 56 of ivory, or the like, whichis inscribed with cross lines 57 in order to facilitate the resetting ofthe lens, should it become necessary to remove the latter from themachine, while cutting the same. The inscribed upper surface ofelliptical plate 56 carries aA ring 58 Yof rubber, or other suitablematerial, which is adapted to directly engage the surface of the lenswithout injury thereto, the upper surface of the lens being pressedthereagainst when the mechanism is in use by a universally jointed upperclamping piece 59, said piece carrying a leather pad 60, or the like,which directly engages the face of the lens. The clamping piece 59 iscarried upon the lower extremity of a plunger 61, a universal joint 62being provided therebetween. This or a similar method of mounting theclamping pieces is quite essential to the production of good work, theupper clamping piece being' adapted to swivel in any direction andtherebybeing able to accommodate itself to the irregular surface of alens. The plunger 6l is neatly received into a recess 63 formed in a rod64, one side of the plunger being slotted as at 65, and a spline or pin66 carried by the said rod projecting into the slot and serving toprevent rotation of the plunger. The upper extremity of the plunger isreduced as at 67, and around this reduced portion is disposed a spring66. The disposition of this spring in connection with the upper clampingmember' is of importance, since the lower clamp should preferably be soformed as not to recede or be materially displaceable whether the stressin the spring be much or little. The reason for this construction willbe hereinafter further considered in connection with the description ofthe lens cutting` means. The upper extremity of the rod 64 carries across-pin 69 which extends into a slot 70 formed in lever 7l, whichlever is pivoted at 72 upon an upwardly extending bracket 73, whichpreferably forms an integral part of the'frame 40. A spring 74 isprovided which normally maintains t-he lever 7l in its uppermostposition, but the said lever carries a latch 75 which is provided with anumber of teeth 76 adapted for engagement with a prong 77, whichprojects laterally from the upper port-ion of the C-shaped frame.

By reason of the provision of a plurality of notches in the latch 75, itis possible to place the spring 68 under substantially any desiredpressure, since, of course, the notches may be made as numerous asdesired. The machine described in t-he patent to Gury was also providedwith a latch, but the said latch had but a single notch therein, and itwas practically impossible to provide it with a plurality of notchesbecause todo so would have resulted in the disposition oi. the lens tobe cut at differentlevels, according to the pressure placed upon thespring which he employed for the purpose of yieldingly clamping thelens; this being due to the fact that the said spring was disposed uponthe opposite side of thelens to that upon which the operating lever wasplaced.

An inspection of Fig. 2 will show that in the present structure any7pressure placed upon thelens in order to clamp the same in place merelyexerts a stress tending to spread apart the upper and lower arms ot'-'the VC-shaped frame, and by no possibility can this pressure betransmitted to t-he stem 45, or other parts operatively connected to thelens rotating means; the downward thrust of the spring 67 being carriedby the ball bearing 48, and being transmitted thence directly to thelower arm of the C- shaped frame. Both the bearing members lfland thenovel arrangement of parts just described, therefore, co-act to the endthat frictionin the machine is reduced substantially `to a minimum, thepresent machine being adapted to be operated with very little effort.

The fact that the lower clamping member is rotatable independently ofthe sleeve 41-6 is a decided advantage, since it facilitates the aliningof the longer line 57, which corresponds to the horizontal axis of thelens, with the major axis of the elliptical cut made by the tool when inoperation. The said clamping member may be freely rotated by merelyslaclening the screw 52, and may therefore also be readily replaced whenworm out or torn off.

lVe shall now consider briefly the preferred construction of the diamondholder. rlhe diamond 78 is carried upon the extremity of an arm 79,which is pivotally mounted to swing in a vertical plane about an axiswhich passes through the center of the stud S0, which stud is adjustablymounted upon. the upper extremity of t-he standard l. Arm 79 is'provided at its rear end with an ott'set portion 79 from which extendsupwardly a linger-piece 8l; a pivoting rod 82 being secured in the saidextension and being journaled in a sleeve 83. This sleeve has adownwardly projecting ear 84 through which extends the pivoting stud 80,above referred to; the rear end of the sleeve -terminating in'la secondlingerpiece S5 which serves to control the vertical moveu'ient of thediamond while the lingerpiece 81 correspondingly serves to effect. thepresentation of the desired cutting edge of the said diamond to thematerial to be cut. A s was pointed out in the patent to Gury. it isdesirable to provide some means whereby the same cutting surface oit'the diamond may be presentedv substantially norma-l to the line ofcurvature of the cut, and in order to seciui'e greater accuracy in thismovement, especially in view of the varied disposition ot' the arm 79, Iprefer to form this portion of the device in the manner shown in Figs.l. 6 and 7. Herein the arm 79 is provided with a rigid lateral extension66. and has pivoted at the end thereof at 87 a small volte S6 whichcarries two guide rods 89 disposed in parallelism and spaced apart fromeach other a sutlicient distance to tangentiallv engage the cylindricalsurface ot the sleeve 46. lt is obvious that by reason of thisarrangement the movementof fthe yoke 88 will be accurately controlledre-- gardless of the vertical angular' displacement of the arm 79, andalso regardless of its rotative displacement about the axis Vof the stud82. The yoke 88 has downwardly projecting therefrom, as best seeninlTigs. l and 6, a pin 90; and this pin is neatly received rinto aslotr 91 provided in a small cra-nk arm 92 which is mounted upon thelower extremity of a small spindle 93; the said spindle extendingupwardly'through and being journaled in t-he enlarged eX- tremity 94 ofthe arm T9, and having the diamond 78 mounted upon the upper extremitythereof.

The stud 8() above referred to is fixedly mounted in the lower portionof a flange 95 whichis formed upon the end of a longitudinally movablerod 96 (see Fig. 2) the said rod being made adjustable in any suitablemannerin Vthe direction of its length, move-ment thereof beingcontrolled by the adjustment nut 97. This particular portion of themechanism forms no special part of the present invention, and hence neednot be herein further described.

The general'operation of the device is substantially as follows: Nut 37`is slackened and the graduated adjustment nut 84 is rotated to displacethe cam disk 25, in the manner above described, this'one settingdetermining the amount of eccentricity of the cut; and any size or shapeof round or oval lens may be obtained by means of this adjustment whenused in conjunction with the adjustments for the diamond supporting arm.After the adjustment lint has been turned the desired amount and hasbeen clamped in position by t-he nut 37 and the position of the arm 79has been determined, 'the lens to be cut is disposed upon the rubberring 58 and is clamped thereon by pressing down upon the free extremityof the lever 7l. the desired clamping pressure being obtained byengaging the prong T7 with one or the other of the teeth 76; thehorizontal and vertical axes of the lens to be cut having first ofcourse been disposed in correspondence with the `lines 57 on the plate5G. The finger-piece 59 is now depressed. and the finger-piece 8lrotated into the desired position, bringing the desired cutting surfaceof vthe diamond into contact with the lens material. Upon turning thehandle 10 the gears will rotate the plate 18; and, b v reason of theengagement of the pin 22 of .plate 13 with the slot Q2 in one' of thesegments 2l, the said segments and the disk 17 to vwhich they areattached will b-e correspondingly rotated. Owing to the fact, however,that the cam disk is more or less eccentrically disposed an oscillatorymovement will be imparted to the disk 17, and it, together with thesegments which are attached to it, will be swung first toward one sideand then toward the other of a line joining the center of the pin 22 andthe axis of the spindle 4. The cap 38 will, of course, movecorrespondingly while rotating and will thereby drive t-he frame 40 inan elliptical path the relative proportions of whose major and minoraxeswill depend upon the amount of lateral displacement of the cam diskThearm 4l is not 'free to rotate owing to the engagement of the slottedend thereof'with the fixed pin 42. This pin however will ride back andforth in the slot 44 as the frame 40 swings toward and from the saidpin. The lens mounted between the clamps carried by the frame rotates incorrespondence with t-he movable frame part-s adjacent thereto, and whenthe finger piece 85 is depressed the diamond '78 is driven up intoengagement with the under surface of the lens and scores an ellipse ofgreater or less eccentricity thereupon, according to the adjustment ofthe machine. This lower surface of the lens material which is thus cutinvariably occupies substantially t-he same horizontal plane, regardlessof the thickness of the lens or of the pressure upon the spring 68. Asthe lens carrying parts swing through their elliptical path, the sleeve46 oscillates the yoke 88 by reason of the tangential engagement betweenthe pins or rods 89 and the cylindrical surface of the sleeve. Thismovement of yoke 88 correspondingly oscillates crank 92 and therebyspindle 93 and the diamond 78. The movement of the V10() latter is such,by reason of the Aconstruction employed, that the same cutting edge ofthediamond is invariably presented normal to the curve to be cut. Thepoint of the diamond lies in the prolongation of thehorizontal axis ofrotation of the diamond, as shown in Fig. 2, so that whether the fingerpiece 8l be swung to the right or left, the line of curvature of the outwill continue to be a true circle or ellipse, according to the lateraldisplacement of the camdisk. This feat-ure of mounting the diamond sothat it may be tilted in or out at will materially facilitates cuttingToric,

Coquille and strong double-convex lenses.

In order to prevent too free movement of this part of the device, thesleeve 88 may be slotted as at 98, and a small clamping screw 99 may beprovided which may eXtend through ears 100, disposed upon either side1.20

of this slot. The pressure of the spring 68 is ultimately or indirectlyexerted upwardly uponV the upper arm of the C-shaped frame 40, while thedownward pressure is transmitted through the lens to the lower clamp andfrom thence to the sleeve 46, and the ball bearing 48. As this bearingis seated upon the-enlargement at the eXtremitv of the lower arm of theframe, reactance both upwardly and downwardly from the 13G clampingact-ion is actually sustained solely by the frame and merely tends tospread the arms thereof apart, which as the frame is substantiallyunyielding produces no effect. The rotating parts hence merely have tosustain the Weight of the lens carrying elements and friction is reducedto a minimum. l

rIhe lens is held perfectly free between the clamps or chucks, by reasonof the universal joint provided in connection With the upper clamp; andthis is a very important feature, since it permits the handling of thethickest or thinnest lenses, Whether fiat, concave or convex, Withoutdanger of breakage and without the use of what are commonly known in theart as pads In conclusion I particularly Wish to call attention to thefact that in my lens cutter construction-if the pin 49 be driven out,the entire clamping means, e., the clamps proper, he co-acting springpressed parts and the frame 40 may be removed from the stem e5, Withoutreleasing the lens from the determined pressure, by merely drawing thesaid clamping means upwardly. In other Words the clamping means actuallyform a self-contained and unitary structure which in so far as thedriving mechanism is concerned is substantially independent thereof.rllhis construction renders it possible to effect a repair of thedriving mechanism Without remo-ving the lens material from the clamps.

Having described my invention, I claim:

l. In a lens-cutting machine, a support, lens cutting means, a unitary,self-contained, lens-clamping structure carried by said support, andmechanism for driving said structure rotarily, said driving mechanismbeing substantially independent of the clamping action of saidstructure.

2. In a lens-cutting machine, a support, lens cutting means, alens-clamping structure, mechanism for driving said structure rotarily,said structure having means for clamping a lens under adjustablepressure, said driving mechanism being substantially independent of theclamping action of said structure.

3. In a lens-cutting machine, a support, lens cutting means, alens-clamping structure comprising lens clamps proper and means forclamping a lens therebetween under adjustable pressure, mechanism fordriving said structure rotarily, said driving mechanism beingsubstantially independent of the clamping action of said structure, oneof said lens clamps being normally spaced determinedly with respect toparts of said mechanism, regardless of the pressure exerted by said lensclamps upon a lens therebetween.

et. In a lens-cutting machine, a support, lens cutting means, a lensclamping structure comprising lens clamps `proper and means for clampinga lens therebetween, one of said clamps being ixedly held againstlongitudinal and lateral displacement With respect to said support, andthe other being universally jointed, whereby said latter clamp mayaccommodate itself to the surface of the Work, mechanism for drivingsaid structure rotarily, and means co-acting with said mechanism forvarying the path of said structure.

5. In a lens-cutt-ing machine, a support, lens cutting' means, alens-clamping structure comprising lens clamps proper and means forclamping a lens therebetween, one of said clamps being universallyjointed, whereby said clamp may accommodate itself to the surface of theWork, mechanism for driving said structure rotarily, and means co-actingwith said mechanism for varying the path of said structure.

G. In a lens-cutting machine, a support, lens cutting means, alens-clamping structure comprising lens clamps proper and means forclamping` a lens therebetween, one of said clamps being normallypositively held against longitudinal displacement with respect to saidsupport, and` mechanism for driving said structure rotarily,saidmechanism comprising a separable connection between a driven elementthereof and said positively held clamp.

7. In a lens-cutting machine, a support,

pivotally mounted lens cutting means, said means being mounted formovement 1n a plane normal to the surface of the lens to be cut and alsobeing rotatable about an axis disposed substantially in a plane passingthrough a face of said lens, a lens clamping structure comprising lensclamps proper and means for clamping a lens therebetween, one of saidclamps being normally positively held against longitudinal displacementWith respect to said support, the

lens engaging part of said clamp lying substantially in the planeaforesaid.

8. In a lens-cutting machine, a support, pivotally mounted lens cuttingmeans, said means being mounted for movement in a plane normal to thesurface of the lens to be cut and also being rotatable about an axisdisposed substantially in a plane passing through a face of said lens,frictional means for normally holding said lens cutting means againstrotation about said axis, a lens clamping structure comprising lensclamps proper andmeans for clampinga lens therebetween, one of saidclamps being normally positively held against longitudinal displacementwith respect to said support, the lens engaging part of said clamp lyingsubstantially in the plane aforesaid.

9. In a lens-cutting machine, a support, lens cutting means, a lensclamping structure, mechanism for driving said structure ro- -tarily,said mechanism comprisingaspindle,

a c am element laterally displaceable with respect to said spindle, arevoluble part adapted when revolved to be moved laterally with respectto the axis of said spindle by said cam element,V co-acting revo-lubleparts the a-Xis of revolution ot' which is normally coincident with thatof the spindle, said coacting revoluble parts having' a slidableconnection With the laterally movable revoluble part, and auxiliarybearing` means carried by one of said parts for diminishing frictionbetween said revoluble parts at the said sliclable connection.

l0. In a lens cutting machine, a support, lens cutting means, a lensclamping structure7 mechanism for driving said structure rotarily, saidstructure comprisingclamps adapted to engage a lens and a spring for4holding said clamps in clamping relationship, said spring beingdisposed upon one Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve centseach, by addressing side of said clamps and said driving'mechanism uponthe other side of said clamps.

ll. In a lens-cutting machine, a support,

lens cutting means, a lens-clamping structure comprising lens clampsproper and less of the pressure exerted bv said lens clamps upon a lenstherebetween.

In witness whereof, I subscribe my signature, in the presence of tivoWitnesses.

' FREDERICK L. HIGGINS. IVitnesses:

HAROLD A. BURT, VILLIAM P. HALL.

the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

